Wakako Hironaka (広中 和歌子, Hironaka Wakako; born 11 May 1934, Tokyo) is a Japanese writer and politician. She served four…Wakako Hironaka (広中 和歌子, Hironaka Wakako; born 11 May 1934, Tokyo) is a Japanese writer and politician. She served four terms in the House of Councillors, the upper house of the national Diet, from 1986 until 2010. Her husband is Heisuke Hironaka, a mathematician.
Hideo Kiyama (木山 英雄, Kiyama Hideo; born 20 April 1934) is a Japanese Sinologist. He was born in Arakawa, Tokyo and…Hideo Kiyama (木山 英雄, Kiyama Hideo; born 20 April 1934) is a Japanese Sinologist. He was born in Arakawa, Tokyo and graduated from the University of Tokyo.
Tsuyako Ōno (February 27, 1934 - January 26, 2021) was a Japanese politician who served two terms in the House of…Tsuyako Ōno (February 27, 1934 - January 26, 2021) was a Japanese politician who served two terms in the House of Councillors from 1996 to 2006. Her son was elected to the same legislative body in 2013. In 1996, Ōno was elected to fill her husband's seat in the Upper House, on behalf of the Liberal Democratic Party; the seat represented Gifu Prefecture. She won the 2001 election for the same district.
Iwakaze Kakutaro (born Yoshikazu Okamoto; January 22, 1934 – April 30, 1988) was a sumo wrestler from Edogawa, Tokyo…Iwakaze Kakutaro (born Yoshikazu Okamoto; January 22, 1934 – April 30, 1988) was a sumo wrestler from Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan. He made his professional debut in May 1952 and reached the top division in May 1956. His highest rank was sekiwake. He retired from active competition in September 1965.
Kiyoshi Kodama (児玉 清, Kodama Kiyoshi; real name: Kiyoshi Kitagawa (北川 清), born as Kiyoshi Kodama (小玉 清), 1 January 1934…Kiyoshi Kodama (児玉 清, Kodama Kiyoshi; real name: Kiyoshi Kitagawa (北川 清), born as Kiyoshi Kodama (小玉 清), 1 January 1934 – 16 May 2011) was a Japanese TV personality and actor. He hosted the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation quiz show Panel Quiz Attack 25 continuously for thirty-six years from its start in April 1975 until he was forced to step down due to poor health at the end of March 2011. His signature catchphrase on the show is "Attack Chance!" An avid reader, Kodama hosted a TV book review show. He also published his own books. He was a voice actor for the voice of Robert Stephenson in the Japanese version of the 2004 animated movie Steamboy. Kodama died of stomach cancer at a hospital in Chuo, Tokyo on 16 May 2011.
Tomohiko Sekine (関根 友彦, Sekine Tomohiko; 22 November 1933 – 16 January 2022), a.k.a. Thomas T. Sekine was a Japanese…Tomohiko Sekine (関根 友彦, Sekine Tomohiko; 22 November 1933 – 16 January 2022), a.k.a. Thomas T. Sekine was a Japanese economist and was considered to be one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's labor theory of value. His main work The Dialectic of Capital was published in 1986. He was a scholar of Kozo Uno.
Atsushi Tani (谷 野, Tani Atsushi; born 14 November 1933) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at the…Atsushi Tani (谷 野, Tani Atsushi; born 14 November 1933) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Sumiko Nakazawa (中沢 純子, Nakazawa Sumiko; 4 November 1933 – 26 September 2010), known professionally as Junko Ikeuchi…Sumiko Nakazawa (中沢 純子, Nakazawa Sumiko; 4 November 1933 – 26 September 2010), known professionally as Junko Ikeuchi (池内 淳子, Ikeuchi Junko), was a Japanese actress. She joined the film studio Shintoho after being recruited from Mitsukoshi's Nihonbashi store, and subsequently starred in films and television series like Super Giant (1957), The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), A Woman and the Beancurd Soup (1965), Illusion of Blood (1965), and Tora-san's Love Call (1971). Gaining popularity on television dramas, she also earned the nicknames "20% Actress" and "Queen of TV Dramas".
Ryō Hanmura (Japanese: 半村 良, Hepburn: Hanmura Ryō; October 27, 1933 – March 4, 2002) was a Japanese science fiction…Ryō Hanmura (Japanese: 半村 良, Hepburn: Hanmura Ryō; October 27, 1933 – March 4, 2002) was a Japanese science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. His name is alternatively transliterated as Ryō Hammura. While he wrote books as Ryō Hanmura his real name was Heitarō Kiyono (清野 平太郎, Kiyono Heitarō). He won the first Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for his novel Musubi no Yama Hiroku (産霊山秘録) in 1973. He won the Naoki Prize for his 1975 novel Amayadori (雨やどり). He won also the 1988 Nihon SF Taisho Award. One of his novels was the basis of the 1979 film G.I. Samurai (戦国自衛隊, Sengoku Jieitai). A series of role-playing video games called The Legend of Heroes (英雄伝説, Eiyū Densetsu) is loosely based on his novel by the same name.
Hiroshi Suzuki (鈴木 弘, Suzuki Hiroshi; born September 18, 1933) is a retired Japanese freestyle swimmer. He competed in…Hiroshi Suzuki (鈴木 弘, Suzuki Hiroshi; born September 18, 1933) is a retired Japanese freestyle swimmer. He competed in the 100 m and 4×200 m relay events at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won two silver medals in 1952. In the 100 m event in the 1952 Olympics, Hiroshi actually posted an identical time to the eventual gold medal winner, Clarke Scholes of the US. Officials used a judges decision to award Clarke Scholes the gold medal and Hiroshi Suzuki the silver medal. He won gold medals in these two events at the 1954 Asian Games.
Mie Kitahara (北原三枝, Kitahara Mie; born 23 July 1933) is a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 60 films between…Mie Kitahara (北原三枝, Kitahara Mie; born 23 July 1933) is a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 60 films between 1952 and 1960.
Keiko Awaji (淡路恵子, Awaji Keiko; 17 July 1933 – 11 January 2014) was a Japanese stage and film actress. Awaji appeared…Keiko Awaji (淡路恵子, Awaji Keiko; 17 July 1933 – 11 January 2014) was a Japanese stage and film actress. Awaji appeared in films like Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog, Keisuke Kinoshita's A Japanese Tragedy, Mark Robson's The Bridges at Toko-Ri and Mikio Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. She died of esophageal cancer in Tokyo on 11 January 2014, aged 80. She was married twice, to Filipino actor Bimbo Danao and to Japanese actor Yorozuya Kinnosuke.
Sumiko Takahara (16 June 1933 – 19 August 2001) was an economist, Japanese Ambassador (to Finland, 1995–1998), chief of…Sumiko Takahara (16 June 1933 – 19 August 2001) was an economist, Japanese Ambassador (to Finland, 1995–1998), chief of the now-defunct Economic Planning Agency, and the first female president of Japanese baseball’s Central League (March 1998 – December 2000).
Jun Kubota (久保田 淳 Kubota Jun, born 13 June 1933) is a scholar of Japanese literature. He is best-known for his work on…Jun Kubota (久保田 淳 Kubota Jun, born 13 June 1933) is a scholar of Japanese literature. He is best-known for his work on medieval waka.
Noboru Karashima (辛島 昇, Karashima Noboru; 24 April 1933 – 26 November 2015) was a Japanese historian, writer and…Noboru Karashima (辛島 昇, Karashima Noboru; 24 April 1933 – 26 November 2015) was a Japanese historian, writer and Professor Emeritus in University of Tokyo, Japan. He also served as Professor Emeritus at the Taisho University, Japan. He was a prominent scholar of Asia in the studies of south Indian and South Asian histories. He has rewritten historical accounts on medieval south India and published a number of writings. Professor Karashima played a critical role in developing Indo-Japan cultural ties and was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2013, one of India's highest civilian award, for his contribution in the field of literature and education. In a rare gesture the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh handed over the award personally to Professor Karashima in Tokyo. He died of leukemia in November, 2015.
Fujio Ishihara (石原藤夫, Ishihara Fujio; born in Tokyo in 1933) is a former professor of electronics at Tamagawa…Fujio Ishihara (石原藤夫, Ishihara Fujio; born in Tokyo in 1933) is a former professor of electronics at Tamagawa University, and a Japanese science fiction author. He graduated Waseda University with a degree in electronics. He made his science fiction debut in 1965. During the 1970s and 1980s he has been an active hard SF advocate. In the first half of the 1980s, he coined the term "Kōseiki Sekai" (光世紀世界, Light Century Universe), defined as the sphere with a diameter of 100 light years (within 50 light years radius from the Sun). He also edited Kōseiki Seihyō (光世紀星表, Light Century Catalogue), the star catalogue of Light Century Universe (738 stars had been known at the time, include the Sun). Also he is known for bibliographies of Japanese science fiction. He received the Seiun Award best non-fiction book in 1985 for Kōseiki no Sekai, and Nihon SF Taisho Award special award in 1991 for his bibliography works.
Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko; March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. She was diagnosed with…Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko; March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in November 2008, and a television documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband, actor Hiroyuki Nagato, to care for her. She died in Tokyo.
Yoko Ono (Japanese: 小野 洋子, romanized: Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana as オノ・ヨーコ; born February 18, 1933) is a…Yoko Ono (Japanese: 小野 洋子, romanized: Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana as オノ・ヨーコ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese retired artist, musician, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono was born and grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York City in 1952 to join her family. She became involved with New York City's downtown artists scene in the early 1960s, which included the Fluxus group, and became widely known outside the contemporary art world in 1969 when she married English musician John Lennon of the Beatles, with whom she would subsequently record as a duo in the Plastic Ono Band. The couple used their honeymoon as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War with what they called a bed-in. She and Lennon remained married until he was murdered in front of the couple's apartment building, The Dakota, on December 8, 1980. Together, they had one son, Sean, who later also became a musician. Ono began a career in popular music in 1969, forming the Plastic Ono Band with Lennon and producing a number of avant-garde music albums in the 1970s. She achieved commercial and critical success in 1980 with the chart-topping album Double Fantasy, a collaboration with Lennon which was released three weeks before his murder, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. To date, she has had twelve number one singles on the US Dance charts, and in 2016 was named the 11th most successful dance club artist of all time by Billboard magazine. Many musicians have paid tribute to Ono as an artist in her own right and as a muse and icon, including the B-52's, Sonic Youth and Meredith Monk. As Lennon's widow, Ono works to preserve his legacy. She funded the Strawberry Fields memorial in Manhattan's Central Park, the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, and the John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan (which closed in 2010). She has made significant philanthropic contributions to the arts, peace and disaster relief in Japan and the Philippines, and other such causes. In 2002, she inaugurated a biennial $50,000 LennonOno Grant for Peace. In 2012, she received the Dr. Rainer Hildebrandt Human Rights Award and co-founded the group Artists Against Fracking.
Kiyoshi Kobayashi (小林 清志, Kobayashi Kiyoshi; January 11, 1933 – July 30, 2022) was a Japanese actor, voice actor and…Kiyoshi Kobayashi (小林 清志, Kobayashi Kiyoshi; January 11, 1933 – July 30, 2022) was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He was attached to the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He was a graduate of the arts department of Nihon University. He was best known for his role as Daisuke Jigen in the Lupin the Third series, voicing the character for over 50 years. He also voiced roles in Humanoid Monster Bem (as Bem), the Droopy cartoons (as the Wolf) and Shazzan (as Shazzan); Kobayashi was the official dub-over voice of James Coburn and Lee Marvin for Japan.
Hideo Shiraki (白木秀雄; 1 January 1933 in Tokyo – 31 August 1972) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, best known…Hideo Shiraki (白木秀雄; 1 January 1933 in Tokyo – 31 August 1972) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, best known for his work in the 1950s and 1960s. Famed earlier on for hard bop, he later explored world music and became a pioneer of fusing traditional music forms with jazz structuring. He emerged in the new Japanese jazz scene of the 1950s that grew out of the influence of the US occupying forces. He studied percussion at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and, during this period, played with Masashi Nagao's Blue Coats. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, his quintet was popular in Japan and was associated with the "funky boom" craze for hard bop. Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, Terumasa Hino and Yuzuru Sera all passed through his quintet. Notable albums include 1961's In Fiesta (Teichiku Japan), which included a version of Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark". Performers on the album included Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano. 1965's Sakura Sakura united the quintet (including Terumasa Hino on trumpet) with three female koto players as Shiraki moved into a world jazz approach. An invited November 1965 performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival, organised by Joachim-Ernst Berendt, saw the quintet work with a koto quartet and was feted for mixing jazz with traditional Japanese music. He also played with Toshiko Akiyoshi, including two tracks on her 1961 album Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals. On July 22, 1966, he played with the John Coltrane quintet in Tokyo while the group was touring Japan.
Reiko Hayama (Japanese: 早間玲子, romanized: Hayama Reiko; November 9, 1933 – January 20, 2025) was a Japanese architect.…Reiko Hayama (Japanese: 早間玲子, romanized: Hayama Reiko; November 9, 1933 – January 20, 2025) was a Japanese architect. She became the first architect from Japan to work in France.
Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya; born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932 – November 8, 2025) was a Japanese…Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya; born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932 – November 8, 2025) was a Japanese actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he collaborated extensively with many of Japan's best-known and acclaimed directors. In his over seven decade career, he appeared in more than 160 films, and received numerous accolades. He was honored with a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1996 and Japan's Order of Culture in 2015. Discovered on the streets of Tokyo by director Masaki Kobayashi, Nakadai rose to prominence starring in Kobayashi's films, with his breakthrough being in the epic anti-war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961). He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for his performance as the vengeful ronin in Harakiri (1962), a role he considered his finest. Nakadai collaborated on eleven films with Kobayashi—including Kwaidan (1964) and Samurai Rebellion (1967)—and five with Akira Kurosawa, most notably as the doomed warlord in Ran (1985), a performance that earned global acclaim. His other notable credits include Seven Samurai (1954), Conflagration (1958), When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), The Sword of Doom, The Face of Another (both 1966), Kill! (1968), Goyokin (1969), Kagemusha (1980), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). A lifelong stage actor, he founded the acting school Mumeijuku in 1975 and continued performing on stage into his nineties.
Yujiro Hayami (速水 佑次郎, Hayami Yūjirō; 1932–2012) was a Japanese agricultural economist, widely considered to be an…Yujiro Hayami (速水 佑次郎, Hayami Yūjirō; 1932–2012) was a Japanese agricultural economist, widely considered to be an authority on the subject. He was a Rockefeller fellow at Iowa University, a winner of Purple Ribbon Medal and a Lifetime member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists. He is credited with the development Hayami Development Economics, an agricultural philosophy on the relationship of a community to the market and the state. He died on 24 December 2012.
Mototaka Kohama (小浜元孝, Kohama Mototaka) was a Japanese basketball Head coach for the Akita Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Motors…Mototaka Kohama (小浜元孝, Kohama Mototaka) was a Japanese basketball Head coach for the Akita Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Motors Lynx/Giga Cats and Yokohama Giga Cats. He was known as the “Godfather of Japanese basketball,” and served as head coach of the Japan national basketball team three times. Growing up in Akita during WWII as a young boy, he was told to stop playing basketball because it was an American sport. The pioneer studied basketball coaching at the University of Kentucky.
Yasuo Yamada (山田 康雄, Yamada Yasuo; 10 September 1932 – 19 March 1995) was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator.…Yasuo Yamada (山田 康雄, Yamada Yasuo; 10 September 1932 – 19 March 1995) was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. His most well known and famous role was portraying Arsène Lupin III in the Lupin III series from 1971 to 1995. He was also the official Japanese dubbing voice actor of Clint Eastwood and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Kiyoshi Nishimura (西村 潔, September 7, 1932 – November 17, 1993) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was…Kiyoshi Nishimura (西村 潔, September 7, 1932 – November 17, 1993) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was best known for working as an assistant director for filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda, and for directing numerous films under Toho.
Toshihiro Iijima (Japanese: 飯島 敏宏, Hepburn: Toshihiro Iijima; September 3, 1932 – October 17, 2021), also known by the…Toshihiro Iijima (Japanese: 飯島 敏宏, Hepburn: Toshihiro Iijima; September 3, 1932 – October 17, 2021), also known by the names Kitao Senzoku (千束 北男, Senzoku Kitao), and Jōtarō Jitōin (持統院丈太郎, Jitōin Jōtarō), was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and screenwriter.
Asei Kobayashi (小林 亜星, Kobayashi Asei; 11 August 1932 – 30 May 2021) was a Japanese composer. He was also a lyricist…Asei Kobayashi (小林 亜星, Kobayashi Asei; 11 August 1932 – 30 May 2021) was a Japanese composer. He was also a lyricist, actor, and multi-tarento. He could also sing songs and advertisement songs. Kobayashi was represented by Astro Music. He was the director of the Japan Songwriters Association (J-scat). Kobayashi served as the first president of the Dai Nihon Piman-sha Renmei (Dai Pi Ren). His songs are used in advertisements and television themes. Asei also composed the music for the 1991 Famicom video game Niji no Silkroad. A soundtrack CD was later released titled Rainbow Silkroad Image Album WINDY ROAD. He also composed The TV Asahi song in 1977 when the television station changed its name to its current name.
Yukio Aoshima (青島 幸男, Aoshima Yukio; 17 July 1932 – 20 December 2006) was a Japanese politician who served as Governor…Yukio Aoshima (青島 幸男, Aoshima Yukio; 17 July 1932 – 20 December 2006) was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a TV actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter and songwriter.
Tazu Sasaki (28 June 1932 – 3 April 1998; in Japanese 佐々木 たづ ) was a Japanese writer. Sasaki wrote fiction for…Tazu Sasaki (28 June 1932 – 3 April 1998; in Japanese 佐々木 たづ ) was a Japanese writer. Sasaki wrote fiction for children; she was known for her adaptations of Japanese fairy tales, and for a children's book about her guide dog, Roberta.
Hirohisa Fujii (Japanese: 藤井 裕久, Hepburn: Fujii Hirohisa; 24 June 1932 – 10 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who…Hirohisa Fujii (Japanese: 藤井 裕久, Hepburn: Fujii Hirohisa; 24 June 1932 – 10 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who was a member of the House of Councillors from 1977 to 1986, and of the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2012. He served two terms as Minister of Finance, and as Secretary General of the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party of Japan.
Isao Tomita (冨田 勲, Tomita Isao; 22 April 1932 – 5 May 2016) (often known simply as Tomita) was a Japanese composer…Isao Tomita (冨田 勲, Tomita Isao; 22 April 1932 – 5 May 2016) (often known simply as Tomita) was a Japanese composer regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music as well as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realizations, Tomita made extensive use of the sound-design capabilities of his instrument, using synthesizers to create new sounds to accompany and enhance his electronic realizations of acoustic instruments. He also made effective use of analog music sequencers and the Mellotron, and featured futuristic science-fiction themes, while laying the foundations for synth-pop music and trance-like rhythms. Many of his albums are electronic versions and adaptations of familiar classical music pieces. He received four Grammy Award nominations for his 1974 album based on music by Claude Debussy, Snowflakes Are Dancing.
Toshiko Kobayashi (小林トシ子, Kobayashi Toshiko; 6 April 1932 – 29 December 2016) was a Japanese actress active from 1949…Toshiko Kobayashi (小林トシ子, Kobayashi Toshiko; 6 April 1932 – 29 December 2016) was a Japanese actress active from 1949 to 1980. She joined the Nichigeki Dancing Team in 1946. In 1949, she was discovered by film director Keisuke Kinoshita and gave her film debut in his comedy Broken Drum. Under contract with the Shochiku film studios, she starred in many films of Kinoshita and Masaki Kobayashi. She was married to new wave film director Hiroshi Teshigahara from 1956 until his death in 2001, with whom she had three daughters: Kiri Teshigahara, Akane Teshigahara, and Sakura Teshigahara.
Kano Yukimitsu (27 March 1932 – 8 March 2020) was a senior administrator in judo, and was the fourth president of the…Kano Yukimitsu (27 March 1932 – 8 March 2020) was a senior administrator in judo, and was the fourth president of the Kodokan and the President of the All Japan Judo Federation. He was the son of Kano Risei and grandson of the founder of Judo Kano Jigoro. He served from 1980 to 1995 as the President of the Judo Union of Asia. He was an advocate of Kodokan Judo over the International Judo Federation. On 9 March 2020, it was reported that he died at the age of 87.
Katsumoto Saotome (早乙女勝元, Saotome Katsumoto; March 26, 1932 – May 10, 2022) was a Japanese writer, children's book…Katsumoto Saotome (早乙女勝元, Saotome Katsumoto; March 26, 1932 – May 10, 2022) was a Japanese writer, children's book author, and pacifist. His work has been crucial in raising awareness of war dead, such as air raids. As a member of "Burnt-out ruins generation" (Also known as Yakeato Generation (1930–1945)), Saotome dedicated his life to documenting and preserving the stories of Asia-Pacific War in World War II, such as civilian victims of firebombs in Kanto Region including Tokyo Prefecture between March and August 1945. He was one of a leading voice in ensuring Japanese civilian victims of air raids were not forgotten by Japanese history of Japanese government. He published his numerous books and documentary films, with private funds, established a museum in eastern Tokyo to memorialized war victims and ensure their experiences were not forgotten.
Bungaku Ito (Jap. 伊藤 文學 new characters 伊藤 文学; born March 19, 1932) is a Japanese entrepreneur, founder and…Bungaku Ito (Jap. 伊藤 文學 new characters 伊藤 文学; born March 19, 1932) is a Japanese entrepreneur, founder and editor-in-chief of Japan's first commercially based homosexuality magazine Barazoku. He is the president of Daini-Shobo (Jap. 株式会社第二書房).
Momoko Kōchi (河内 桃子, Kōchi Momoko) (7 March 1932 – 5 November 1998), born Momoko Ōkōchi (大河内 桃子, Ōkōchi Momoko), was a…Momoko Kōchi (河内 桃子, Kōchi Momoko) (7 March 1932 – 5 November 1998), born Momoko Ōkōchi (大河内 桃子, Ōkōchi Momoko), was a Japanese film, stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles in the original Godzilla, playing the character of Emiko Yamane (a role she reprised in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995), and in The Mysterians, playing Hiroko Iwamoto.
Noboru Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 登, Hepburn: Okamoto Noboru; February 15, 1932 – October 8, 2021), known by the pen name…Noboru Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 登, Hepburn: Okamoto Noboru; February 15, 1932 – October 8, 2021), known by the pen name Sanpei Shirato (白土 三平, Shirato Sanpei), was a Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as the realism of his drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He is considered a pioneer of the controversial gekiga genre of adult-oriented manga. The son of the Japanese proletarian painter Toki Okamoto, his dream to become an artist equal with his father started when he became a kamishibai artist. He is also known for his work published in the early issues of the manga anthology magazine Garo in 1964, which he began publishing so as to serialize his comic Kamui.
Kiyoko Tanaka (田中 希代子; February 5, 1932 [Shōwa 7] – February 26, 1996 [Heisei 8]) was a Japanese pianist and teacher.…Kiyoko Tanaka (田中 希代子; February 5, 1932 [Shōwa 7] – February 26, 1996 [Heisei 8]) was a Japanese pianist and teacher. She was the first Japanese musician to take a leading prize at a major international competition, sharing second prize with Ingrid Haebler at the Geneva International Music Competition in 1952. She went on to become the first Japanese prizewinner at both the Long-Thibaud Competition in 1953 and the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1955. Based successively in Paris and Vienna, Tanaka toured Europe, Japan and South America through the 1950s and 1960s. Her career was cut short in her late thirties by the onset of a connective tissue disease, forcing her to withdraw from public performances. Tanaka made her final orchestral appearance in 1968 and her last recital in 1970, at the age of 38. Afterwards, she taught piano in Tokyo by means of a wheelchair. She left very few commercial studio recordings, and her posthumous reputation rests largely on concert and broadcast tapes reissued from the late 1980s onward.
Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, Tanikawa Shuntarō; December 15, 1931 – November 13, 2024) was a Japanese poet, translator…Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, Tanikawa Shuntarō; December 15, 1931 – November 13, 2024) was a Japanese poet, translator, children's author, and screenwriter. He was considered to be one of the most widely read and highly regarded Japanese poets, both in Japan and abroad. The English translation of his poetry volume Floating the River in Melancholy, translated by William I. Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura and illustrated by Yōko Sano, won the American Book Award in 1989.
Hisato Aikura (相倉久人, 8 December 1931 in Tokyo – 8 July 2015) was a Japanese music critic and jazz presenter. He was…Hisato Aikura (相倉久人, 8 December 1931 in Tokyo – 8 July 2015) was a Japanese music critic and jazz presenter. He was known for critique of musicians such as John Coltrane.
Keiko Kuroda (黒田 恵子, Kuroda Keiko; December 3, 1932 – October 23, 2024), known by her pen name Keiko Sena (せな けいこ, Sena…Keiko Kuroda (黒田 恵子, Kuroda Keiko; December 3, 1932 – October 23, 2024), known by her pen name Keiko Sena (せな けいこ, Sena Keiko), was a Japanese illustrator, children's book writer, and kamishibai artist. She wrote approximately 100 books, largely published by Poplar and Fukuinkan Shoten. Born in interwar Tokyo, Sena graduated from the all-girls Ochanomizu University Senior High School and went on to study painting under Takeo Takei, one of Japan's most prominent children's illustrators of the 20th century. She was known for her distinctive use of collage to illustrate her work. A "master storyteller", her books have been described to reveal "a deep understanding of children" and feature "charming simplicity with the satisfying bite of fairy tale grim."
